Three videos for this week.
Jun. 3rd, 2025 08:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
First: The Rise And Fall of Kitschy 90s Restaurants. This is apropos of nothing, except that I feel like the "fall" of these kinds of establishments and their replacement by the "grey/beige/greige late 2010s Millennial Air B&B Aesthetic" is part and parcel of the 2020s Enshittification Of Everything.
2: This echoes my thoughts exactly right now. And it gives me anxiety that all of the Worst People have truly won, if it means that I am pulling back from Web 2.0 social media altogether. Because, as The Functional Melancholic says, it's becoming impossible to tell what's real, in a way that feels dangerously destructive to civilization as a whole right now. This is literally one of the goals of Active Measures, and it appears to have succeeded.
III. Vera of The Council Of Geeks also echoes my thoughts perfectly right now. As well as those of many others, I suspect. This is also my Current Mood for this post. I also just let this loop for like 10 minutes yesterday. That's how spot-on it is.
Also, Sinners is out on streaming, for those who have not seen it yet. Just please, I'm begging you, watch it on a screen bigger than a phone screen if you have any other recourse. I'm serious.
2: This echoes my thoughts exactly right now. And it gives me anxiety that all of the Worst People have truly won, if it means that I am pulling back from Web 2.0 social media altogether. Because, as The Functional Melancholic says, it's becoming impossible to tell what's real, in a way that feels dangerously destructive to civilization as a whole right now. This is literally one of the goals of Active Measures, and it appears to have succeeded.
III. Vera of The Council Of Geeks also echoes my thoughts perfectly right now. As well as those of many others, I suspect. This is also my Current Mood for this post. I also just let this loop for like 10 minutes yesterday. That's how spot-on it is.
Also, Sinners is out on streaming, for those who have not seen it yet. Just please, I'm begging you, watch it on a screen bigger than a phone screen if you have any other recourse. I'm serious.
Possible cause of Long COVID has been discovered.
May. 31st, 2025 11:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
( Cut because the image is huge. )
Image text: Japanese researchers have found a possible explanation for long COVID. They discovered that small fragments of the coronavirus's genetic material can remain deep behind the nose, in an area called the epipharynx, for at least six months after infection. These viral remnants irritate the immune system and may cause fatigue, coughing, dizziness, and "brain fog."
The researchers used an old Japanese treatment called epipharyngeal abrasive therapy (EAT), where the area is swabbed once a week with a cotton swab dipped in 1% zinc chloride solution. After three months, the patients showed:
- significantly fewer viral remnants
- lower levels of inflammatory substances
- noticeably reduced symptoms
The treatment appears to both remove the lingering virus and calm the inflammation. A larger clinical trial is now underway in Japan to confirm the results. This discovery could lead to more targeted treatments that address the root cause of long COVID symptoms instead of merely managing them.
Image text: Japanese researchers have found a possible explanation for long COVID. They discovered that small fragments of the coronavirus's genetic material can remain deep behind the nose, in an area called the epipharynx, for at least six months after infection. These viral remnants irritate the immune system and may cause fatigue, coughing, dizziness, and "brain fog."
The researchers used an old Japanese treatment called epipharyngeal abrasive therapy (EAT), where the area is swabbed once a week with a cotton swab dipped in 1% zinc chloride solution. After three months, the patients showed:
- significantly fewer viral remnants
- lower levels of inflammatory substances
- noticeably reduced symptoms
The treatment appears to both remove the lingering virus and calm the inflammation. A larger clinical trial is now underway in Japan to confirm the results. This discovery could lead to more targeted treatments that address the root cause of long COVID symptoms instead of merely managing them.
Update from last post.
May. 28th, 2025 02:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
I was able to take a few days off from work, but it's not nearly enough. I got to the Scarborough Faire renfaire again and some craft stores. But I'm really mourning the loss of Joann Fabric. It, like Toys R Us, is a victim of Vulture Capitalists stripping it for parts.
It was the last "fabric store" out there, since Hancock Fabric closed down in the 2010s. Michaels has fabric and some sewing supplies, but it's not geared towards sewing and the selection is kind of sparse. Same with Wal Mart - but it's Wal Mart. Snobby Lobby is not even worth mentioning, and those bigoted rightwing antiquities thieves can go get bent.
I really don't want to have to order stuff from Etsy every time I want to take on a sewing project that I can't find supplies for locally. This really sucks.
The owner/founder of Texas Renaissance Festival was found dead. That's all I'm saying here without a cut, but here's an article on the subject. Warning for Unpleasant Stuff. I guess we'll see what all of this means for Texas Renaissance Festival this year.
But, changing the subject, one thing that I've noticed that bothers me is that it seems like my ADHD is worse than ever. It's nearly gotten me into a few wrecks that only reflexes saved me from, and it's led me to make a few impulsive decisions that I've regretted later. I know I have to go back to therapy and get back on meds, but I don't want anyone to try and strongarm me into taking SSRIs again. And yes, the loss of Joann's is a blow because crafting is kind of how I blow off steam when I need a mental health break.
I feel like our Capitalist Overlords really want to make a world where all we can afford to do outside of work is Sleep, Stream Media from Streaming Services, Doomscroll Social Media, and Play Video Games. Which is an eventuality that none of us should tolerate.
Trust me, I am not trying to stir up nostalgia for the recent global pandemic, in which a lot of people died or were maimed. But there was this aspect of quarantine life, and I feel like it's the part that the so-called "Captains Of Industry" want us to forget the most:

[tweet from c0wbitch, reading "remember quarantine when everyone was making bread and dancing and making art and taking care of plants and just learning new useful skills and we got a small glimpse into what life is supposed to be like"]
It was the last "fabric store" out there, since Hancock Fabric closed down in the 2010s. Michaels has fabric and some sewing supplies, but it's not geared towards sewing and the selection is kind of sparse. Same with Wal Mart - but it's Wal Mart. Snobby Lobby is not even worth mentioning, and those bigoted rightwing antiquities thieves can go get bent.
I really don't want to have to order stuff from Etsy every time I want to take on a sewing project that I can't find supplies for locally. This really sucks.
The owner/founder of Texas Renaissance Festival was found dead. That's all I'm saying here without a cut, but here's an article on the subject. Warning for Unpleasant Stuff. I guess we'll see what all of this means for Texas Renaissance Festival this year.
But, changing the subject, one thing that I've noticed that bothers me is that it seems like my ADHD is worse than ever. It's nearly gotten me into a few wrecks that only reflexes saved me from, and it's led me to make a few impulsive decisions that I've regretted later. I know I have to go back to therapy and get back on meds, but I don't want anyone to try and strongarm me into taking SSRIs again. And yes, the loss of Joann's is a blow because crafting is kind of how I blow off steam when I need a mental health break.
I feel like our Capitalist Overlords really want to make a world where all we can afford to do outside of work is Sleep, Stream Media from Streaming Services, Doomscroll Social Media, and Play Video Games. Which is an eventuality that none of us should tolerate.
Trust me, I am not trying to stir up nostalgia for the recent global pandemic, in which a lot of people died or were maimed. But there was this aspect of quarantine life, and I feel like it's the part that the so-called "Captains Of Industry" want us to forget the most:

[tweet from c0wbitch, reading "remember quarantine when everyone was making bread and dancing and making art and taking care of plants and just learning new useful skills and we got a small glimpse into what life is supposed to be like"]